The Tragic Story of Ridley Trueblood
by royalcaroline
Summary: Ridley was different. When an old journal is stumbled upon in an Institute library, she finds out just how truly different she is. Was Jonathan the only one with demon blood coursing through his veins? Everything changes on her 18th birthday and she has t
1. Be Prepared

_Ridley crumpled to the ground into a pool of her own black blood. Her eyes darted in search for him, the only one who could have done this to her. She locked eyes with him momentarily before her entire world started spinning out of control. With a bloody smile, she whispered sweetly to him. "I love you."_

_As she succumbed to the darkness, she could feel his hot tears on her skin. She wanted to reach for him, but her limbs would not move. Her head was resting in his strong arms, his hands clinging to her. Slowly, he bent down to kiss her softly on the forehead. "And I love you," his voice light and airy. She felt as if she were floating. Everything was deteriorating around her, he was disappearing. And then, almost in an instant, she was gone._

It was a brisk February day in New York City when Ridley and her sister, Roslyn, arrived. The sun was shining brightly above, giving the illusion of warmth even though small piles of snow still littered the sidewalk. The New York Institute loomed over them as she slid out of the car. To the mundane eye, it was a dilapidated church complete with broken windows and yellow caution tape. But underneath the so-called glamour placed upon it, it was a beautiful gothic cathedral with tall spires reaching up into the New York skyline with a sense of historic grandeur. It was quite lovely if you got the chance to actually see it for what it really was.

"Are you sure this is the place, miss?" The mundie driver had turned to her as he set down a large suitcase. His eyes wandered to the run-down church in question.

Ridley nodded in response, placing a glove clad hand down to pull her suitcase closer to the large wooden doors. She watched as the driver had finished unloading the trunk before turning to him with a fake smile. "That will be all." Her hand reached for his, sliding a roll of bills into it.

He looked down at his hand then back up to her and shrugged his shoulders before returning to the car. The black town car lurched forward then disappeared into the city traffic.

Roslyn had made her way to the massive wooden doors, where they swung open in front of her without a single touch. A tall, thin woman with long black hair and clear blue eyes stood before her. "Welcome to the New York Institute, ladies!" She introduced herself as their aunt Maryse. And she was technically their aunt or cousin of some sort, very distantly. So distant in fact that the girls had never met her before.

The elevator bell rang loudly as it reached its destination. Ridley and Roslyn moved into the hallway and listened quite intently on the history of the illustrious building as Maryse led them through the corridor to their respective guest rooms. Ridley's room was simple. Though she had imagined that all of the guest rooms must be just as plain, they weren't meant to be lived in. Just one of the two hundred open rooms that were left to house traveling Shadowhunters that decided to pass through the city. Nothing special.

Maryse lingered at her door as she unzipped her large suitcase, her pointe shoes falling to the wooden floor. "That's right, you are a dancer. Don't you have an audition for a school here?"

"Joffrey," Ridley replied plainly. _The one thing my mother hates the most about me,_ she thought.

"What a wonderful place! Are you excited?" Maryse seemed giddy for her, like a mother would had her child gotten accepted to an Ivy League college or won some type of dismal mundane award. Well, a normal mundane mother, that is. But Maryse wasn't mundane mother. She was a Shadowhunter with two children that were just as strong as her and her husband ever were. A dark past idled behind her. The Circle. Ridley had heard all about them.

Ridley smiled at her from the large closet, but ignored her question. "This closet is huge. Are all the rooms this big?"

"No, the rooms in this hall in particular are much bigger. They are meant for long-term stays. My children live in this hall as well. I assumed with your audition and school, that you would be staying much longer than just a few days." Maryse's eyes watch Ridley closely. "There is also a room connected to the training rooms that I had the boys set up for you as a studio. I made sure everything was Joffrey grade."

Ridley thanked her, then returned to her unpacking. Maryse decided to let the conversation end at that and made her way down the hallway. Her steps echoing off the walls.

Ridley smiled to herself as she closed the door knowing that she was now alone. Abandoning her bags on the floor, she climbed up onto the windowsill and easily shoved the long window upward, swinging one of her legs out into the chilly air. She sat quietly, playing with her fingers. With a flick of her wrist, she snapped them and a spark turned into a small contained flame. A painless line of fire protruding from her fingertips. She stared at it, raking her mind for an explanation. But there wasn't one. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ She snapped her wrist back and the flame disappeared. She continued this for almost an hour before someone left a loud rapping on her door. Before she could climb down, it opened slowly revealing a golden haired boy in the doorway.

Ridley eyes were locked on his lips as he spoke. "Maryse wanted me to bring you some dinner," he stated with a sly smile curling at the sides of his mouth. He stared at her as if he were slightly mesmerized. He shook himself out of it and moved closer to her with a hand extended. "I'm Jace."

* * *

With the intent to explore the darker parts of the city, Ridley stepped out into the hallway and looked around. Her sister lay asleep on the bed in her room, book in hand. She didn't hear anyone else. Maryse's children were not in their rooms. _Guess I'm going alone,_ she thought to herself.

Quickly, she returned to her room to exchange her simple blue jeans and white tshirt for tight black skinny jeans and loose low-cut black tank top that just happened to expose her lacey ebony bra underneath. She slid her arms into her favorite leather jacket and laced up her knee-high high heeled boots tight. Her stele was placed neatly into an inside pocket of her jacket and two seraph blades were placed in each boot.

She smirked to herself as she climbed up onto the windowsill again and looked down, now realizing just how high up she was from the courtyard below. After taking a deep breath, she jumped. And landed perfectly. She may not know exactly what was going on with her but the extra bits of power made her feel superior and she certainly didn't mind using them.

The Pandemonium Club was packed, a long line of mundanes wrapped down and around the side of the building. Ridley held herself back while she used her stele to draw an invisibility rune on the inside of her arm. With her stele neatly tucked back into her jacket, she made her way past the bouncer and into the club where she pushed through the crowd toward the bar. She stood there for a moment as her eyes scanned the dance floor.

After moving onto the floor amid the sweaty bodies of Downworlders, she let the music take her over. Her mind wandered away from her as she closed her eyes and swayed to the beat. She was happy there in her own little world as the music blared through her ears. Then she felt it. Someone putting their hand on her shoulder from behind, bringing her back into focus.

Almost instantly, her eyes shot wide open. Slowly, she moved her hand to her belt to grasp the hilt of a dagger. With what seemed like one swift motion, she pulled the blade from her side twirling it through her fingers as she spun herself around to face the body behind her. She looked up, the sharp metal now held against _his_ throat, and locked eyes with the man behind her. "Jace?"

Jace raised his hand slowly to her wrist and stared at her. "You're much quicker than I had expected."

She pulled the dagger back from his soft skin and returned it to her belt. "I will take that as a compliment."

He shrugged his shoulders and took a hold of her hand. "What are you doing here anyways?" He asked as he pulled her off the dance floor to a slightly quieter area of the club. "Where is your sister?"

Ridley pulled her hand away. "She is asleep at the Institute. Why?"

"You came here alone?"

She nodded. "Yeah, so?"

"So, your first night in New York and you decide to wander out into the darkness of the city by yourself..." his voice trailed off for a moment. "Well, that's one hell of a bright idea."

"Don't patronize me. I am certainly capable of protecting myself." She glared at him. _Who does he think is?_

"You made that quite clear. You know, dagger to the throat and all." His fingers rubbed at his neck. "I better not have a bruise. Can't have you marking up the money maker," he said sarcastically as he pointed to his face.

Ridley rolled her eyes. "I didn't even touch your face, pretty boy."

She had pulled away from him and turned to make her way back through the crowd when he grabbed her wrist and spun her back around to him. This time she was right up against him. "Why don't you dance with me?"

Her eyes closed for a moment as she breathed him in. His voice was twisting its way through her ears. She thought about saying yes and letting him pull her back onto the dancefloor, but then she changed her mind. "I don't think so." Then she nodded in the direction of a pretty pink-hair girl in the distance that was staring at them. "I'm sure your fan club would love to oblige you."

He looked over his should to the Downworlder that Ridley had pointed out, slightly releasing his grip on her waist. That was all she needed. Before he could turn back around, she shrugged him off and headed back to the dance floor alone pushing her body through the tightly intertwined crowd. The music thumped loudly as the bodies around her closed in.

Jace watched her contently as her hips twisted to the beat, her long blonde hair flowing down around her to the small of her back. Her hands pushing up into the air above her, her body swiveling back and forth effortlessly. He was lost in her from fifty feet away. He was captivated.

* * *

The walk back to the Institute was a short one, but the cold wrapped around Ridley tightly and slowed her pace. Her stiletto heeled boots clicked repeatedly on the roughly worn sidewalk as Jace kept pace behind her. She turned back to him with a sly smirk before twirling herself around in front of him. Grabbing ahold of her hand quickly, he spun her back to him returning her to the closeness that he had tried earlier in the night. Keeping one hand on her back, he moved the other up to her face and pushed a stringy coil of golden hair back behind her ear. She stared up at him, taking mental notes on all of his movements. Her mind registered his touch faster than she had planned for. Instinctively, she pulled him even closer to her, tangling her fingers up in his hair. His clear golden eyes seemed to pierce through her. A surge of heat rushed through her veins, the closeness seeming to set off tiny fireworks in her brain. Her eyes set on his lips and he leaned his face down closer to hers.

Her eyes closed, and suddenly she was no longer on that New York street. It was as if she fell through a hole - a rabbit hole. There she stood with Jace, but no longer were they standing on the gritty sidewalk. A lush, green grass field encircled them. Clad in a matrimonial gold gown and him in black ceremonial gear with blazing gold runes, they danced as the scene unfolded before her. Beautifully fragrant flowers roping through arches set in a large square and people swirling through the box in celebration. Her eyes darted around, she could see Jace staring at her. Not her face though, her hands.

Flames sprung from her fingertips. Her brown eyes darkened. She tried control the flames, to stop them, but nothing worked. She was losing control. Everyone was fleeing from her. She watched as Jace stood there, mouth gaping open, horrified at the monster he had just married. Her wedded union rune burned through her skin causing her to shriek in terror.

Then, just as quickly as she fell into the vision, she was brought back from it. Jace stood in front of her, shaking her forcefully. She could hear his voice through the blackness. "Ridley, come back." His voice was pleading, sounding worried.

Slowly, her eyes flickered back open. A soft voice rang through her mind, a man's but not Jace's. _Be prepared, my child._

She shook her head, shaking the images from her view and focusing on Jace's worried face. "I'm sorry," she said breathlessly. Her body slumped to the curb where she sat quietly, her head pounding. She stared down at her fingers, examining her hands over and over.

Jace slid down beside her and placed an arm around her waist. "Are you okay?" He searched her face, but it was empty. "Where did you go in that pretty little head of yours?"


	2. The Journal

The hard box of Ridley's pointe shoe slid smoothly underneath her into the middle of the wood floor of the studio. Although she was alone, she looked around behind her before raising up onto her toes. After a few moments of dancing in her solitude, she let herself go. She was no longer just moving through the motions, but truly letting herself feel it. Her heart connecting with her feet and hands, letting her mind run wild.

She had been practicing for hours, her leg muscles aching underneath her. But she wasn't stopping. She pushed herself harder. Replaying her favorite songs over and over. The music blaring through her ears, drowning out the thoughts that had earlier taken her over. Finally, she had found some clarity and time to release some pent up aggression.

Her mind was emptying itself onto the floor. Her pointe shoes trampling over all the thoughts that were weighing her down. She was twirling through her pirouettes effortlessly. Weightlessness enveloped her. She was almost completely gone when she heard the door open. She froze.

"Don't stop on my account."

Ridley turned around to see Jace standing in the doorway. She let out a loud sigh and walked toward the rosin box in the back corner. "I don't like to be watched." Her tone was harsh. "What do you want?" Her eyes locked with his, searching them curiously as she dipped the toe of her left shoe into the yellowish powder.

"I heard the music. I was intrigued."

"Well, by all means, please stay and ruin my concentration. It's not like I have an extremely important audition in less than a week." She glared at him mercilessly, her lips pursed together.

Jace turned to walk out, but then turned back around and stared at her. "You do realize that there will be someone watching you when you go to that audition. That someone every minute of that day will be critiquing your ever move. And you are worried about me? You, my dear, are one confusing creature. But I will leave you to it. Good luck." And with that, he disappeared through the door letting it slam shut behind him.

She blinked her eyes as if snapping herself back to reality._ Jace..._ She attempted to call after him, but the sound wouldn't pass through her lips. With a hand on her forehead, she slid down to the hard wood floor. Why did I just do that? Her temper had elevated so fast and so quick. It was almost as if she left her body and watched herself and Jace converse. She seemed to have no control over her tongue.

The door to Jace's room was locked. Ridley knocked lightly, the door opening before her third knock. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get anything out, he cut her off.

"You know I don't really like these teasing games of yours." He raised an eyebrow down at her and waited for her to respond.

"All I can say is I'm sorry."

His body shifted to the side, leaving her room to enter. With a slight hesitation, she reluctantly accepted his invitation and slid in past him. His room was simple just like hers which surprised her considering the amount of time he had been living there.

Not wanting to rehash the events from the studio that had happened merely an hour before, he turned around to face her, his eyes shimmering in the low light. "Are you hungry?"

* * *

"Well, isn't this just romantic," she joked before stuffing her mouth full of a hot dog from Gray's Papaya. Her legs crossed in front of her, perching herself indian-style on the hard bench somewhere deep in the heart of Central Park. With a hand covering her overly filled mouth, her shoulders vibrated with inaudible laughter.

Jace stared at her in awe. Not only was she actually laughing, somewhat, but he had never seen a girl demolish a hot dog that fast. And she still had a few more to go. His lips curled into a sly smile and he watched her from the corner of his eye. There was a small spot of mustard above her thin lips that was left unnoticed. Slowly, he grazed her cheek softly as he used his thumb to wipe the yellow away.

His hand lingered, fingertips lightly skimming her skin. Their eyes locked as he lowered his face to hers, his lips gently grazing her own. Sparks flew from their lips as they met. Her fingers tangling up in his golden waves, her mind fading into space. His hands tracing the scars on the small of her back.

The world began to spin around her as they kissed. But once again, it took her somewhere else. _It is just a dream,_ she thought carelessly as the other dimension unfolded around her. It wasn't the same as the last time she kissed him though.

This was different. They were in a bedroom. A decadently decorated one, half of the room painted a soft blue while the other was a pale pink. Her eyes wandered around, fingers tracing over a white crib with lilac bedding. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and Jace reached for her as she fell to the floor. Her hands gripped her stomach, which she now noticed to be very round. Her eyes fluttering closed as Jace pulled her to him and held her close. He was shaking her, begging for her to come back and when she did, her breathing became more rapid at the sight of blood. A lot of blood.

Her eyes flashed open and she pulled back from him. Her hands banging down on the bench for stability. She was silently searching the area around her, her heart beating fast. _It was a dream, just a dream._

"Ridley, are you okay?" His hands were now placed on her shoulders, trying to turn her around to him. "You are here. In Central Park. With me." He pulled her head to his shoulder, twirling his fingers in her bright blonde curls, hushing her as if she were a small scared child.

Tears began to fill her dark brown eyes. "What is wrong with me?"

"What are you talking about?" Jace lightly pushed her back so he could examine her face. "Where did you go?"

She shook her head, realizing that she couldn't tell him. He would think I am crazy. Quickly, she wiped her eyes and smiled. "Nothing!"

He stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "You really had me worried."

"Oh, please. I am sure you don't get that invested in the girls that live in the Institute."

He rolled his eyes. "Considering that not many live there. No, I do not. And that has nothing to do with it. I -" He cut himself off and took a bite of his hot dog in hopes of deflecting the conversation.

"You what?" She was oddly curious of what he had started to say, but slightly nervous about hearing the rest.

But Jace didn't respond with words, just a wink as he chewed. Feeling defeated, she continued to finish her hot dog as well.

The walk back to the Institute was not nearly as cold as the night before. Ridley wondered if that was because of the dream. Both times that this had happened so far, her body temperature had rose quite a bit. Underneath the tough girl act, she really wished she could tell Jace what she had seen. But she didn't even know what it meant and she knew he would probably think that she was half nuts... or completely nuts. And she didn't want that either.

He reached down and took ahold of her hand. Together they walked, with fingers intertwined, back to the Institute. Jace made sure to take her the long way, showing off the city lights to her as the sun made its way down switching places with the moon. A group vampires passed them on the sidewalk, staring them down. But Jace and Ridley didn't even pay them any attention, they were lost in their own little world.

* * *

Back at the Institute, Roslyn sat alone in the library. She searched through book after book in the dim light, just trying to find anything that could explain Ridley's behavior. Roslyn knew some of what her sister had been dealing with, mostly just the horrific dreams she had had before they arrived in New York and the undeniable extra strength she had acquired. There had to be viable excuse for the changes.

As she reached on tip-toe for The History of Demonic Curses, a leather journal fell to the ground. It was small with worn brown skin and aged pages. Roslyn opened it carefully, gently scanning the weak parchment not knowing who the writer was. So many Shadowhunters had passed through this Institute since it had been built that this journal could have been left at any point in time.

Her eyes stopped on a familiar date. October 21st, 1991. Ridley's birthday. There was a short entry scrawled across the page.

_October 21, 1991_

_Daphne gave birth to the child this morning. She was unnervingly beautiful with pale skin and hair. And those eyes. Harsh, dark eyes. I do believe that my experiments have worked. She looks to be Jonathan's twin in female form._

Roslyn gasped as the journal fell to the floor. Her eyes wide, she picked it up hastily and ran to her room in search of her phone. She had to find her sister. An array of questions were running through her mind.

Is this real?

Are they really talking about Ridley?

What did they do to her?


	3. What Have I Done?

_Perched up on a large windowsill, Ridley sat watching the light from the setting sun glitter off the Demon Towers in the distance. Alicante was living up to its nickname well as the evening enveloped the party going on around her inside the Accords Hall. People were passing by back and forth, but no one seemed to look twice at her. Her long gold ball gown covered by a dark green cloak, her face turned away from them. She felt as if she were invisible. But this was not the day to feel invisible._

_The witchlights in the Hall sparkled leaving a soft glow lingering through the large room. Light music drifted through air. Women in simple yet beautiful gowns, the men in their plain black ceremonial gear. Everyone waiting around, wine in hand. They were waiting. Waiting for her._

_Isabelle rushed towards her down the corridor. "Have you been here all along?" She took hold of Ridley's hand and led her back through the hallway to a room near the end. "Sit down, let me fix your makeup. It is almost time!" As she touched up Ridley's eye shadow, she noticed that she was abnormally quiet. "Are you nervous?"_

_"Yeah, actually." Ridley stared up at her and smiled as Isabelle touched up her blush. "I don't want to cry, but I am oddly numb. But then again, that is how I act when I am nervous. How do I look?" _

_Isabelle backed up from her, pulling her up from the chair. "You look like an angel." Tears formed in her eyes and she waved her hand lightly in front of them in an attempt to stop her mascara from running. "You are gorgeous!"_

_Ridley smiled at her and wrapped her up in a hug. "I love you, Izzy. I don't know what I would do without you." Almost instinctively, they touched each other's matching rune at the same time._

_Isabelle smiled back at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her out into the hallway. "Come on, let's get you married!"_

_Together, they walked arm in arm down the aisle in the center of the room toward her awaiting future. Amid the guests surrounding them were many familiar smiling faces including her mother whom she did not ask to walk with her. She instead asked her parabatai. Isabelle Lightwood, her best friend, her maid of honor. Jace, dressed in black ceremonial gear with bright gold runes, stood with an oddly happy smile plastered on his face as he watched Ridley teeter down the aisle in her shimmering gold gown. Alec stood beside him, Roslyn stood opposite. _

_You look beautiful, he mouthed to her as she took his hand. His hands were shaking from nerves and his eyes had already started to water. Lightly she brushed her thumb across his check, wiping a runaway tear from his face. A soft smile drawn across her face. Her engagement ring, a mundane tradition they decided to take on, sparkled wildly as she placed her left hand into his vacant one._

_Near the end of the ceremony, their steles were handed to them by the maid of honor and best man. Jace was first, drawing the wedded union rune on her arm then above her heart. Ridley followed after drawing the same rune in the same areas on him. Finally it was time to kiss the bride and just as Jace started to lean in, something caught her eye._

_He was there._

Ridley's eye shot open and she sat up quickly, searching the room around her. Who was that? She racked her brain, trying to put a name to the face of the man in her dream. But she couldn't. She did not know who he was.

As she calmed herself down, she realized that Jace was asleep beside her. Feeling much safer, she laid back down and curled up next to him. Half-asleep he wrapped his arms around her, leaving a sweet kiss on her forehead. She breathed him in, his soft skin peeking through his shirt. Much better.

Her dreams were becoming more and more vivid lately. This one, however, was much milder than the day dreams she had had earlier. This was happy and beautiful, but it ended with something that just _felt_ wrong. Not her and Jace, but that man. His harsh features and dark eyes just standing there, staring at her. And Isabelle, her parabatai? When was that going to happen? So much in that dream confused her. With all these thoughts running through her mind, she was unable to fall back asleep. No matter how comforting Jace's arms were.

There was a soft, nimble rapping on the door. It was Roslyn. Upon opening it, Roslyn urged her to follow her. She slipped on a sweater and padded barefoot down the hall behind her sister to the library. She noticed a small book in her hands, tiny post-its marking multiple pages. She lightly took her arm, pulling her to a stop in the hallway. "What is that?"

Roslyn looked down in her hands. The journal. "It is what I have to show you. Now, come on." She pulled away from her and continued toward the library where she had more books stacked in a hidden corner.

There were many different titles, but most of them were about the same subject. Demons. There were thick volumes surrounding the two chairs. The Demonic Presence in Shadowhunter Lineage. The History of Demonic Curses. The Many Uses of Demon Blood.

Extremely confused, Ridley stared at her sister. "What is all this about?"

"Well, I was doing some research the last few days while we've been here. About all the oddities about you that you can't explain. I think someone ran some type of experiment on you and our mum when she was pregnant with you," Roslyn started. "Look, if you read this journal, I think you will understand. Start at your birthday and continue." She handed Ridley the worn leather book and continued. "Once I read that, I cross examined some of the entries with information from these books. And it is starting to make a lot of sense as to why you can do what you do. I mean, if you –," Roslyn cut off as Ridley raised her hand.

Ridley sighed loudly. "You expect me to believe that I am what? Part demon?" Her voice raising unintentionally. "So because I am a much better Shadowhunter than you, with a set of skills that you don't have, you decide that I am really some filthy Downworlder?" She stood up tossing the heavy books Roslyn had placed in her lap onto the ground with a thump. "That is your explanation?"

The loudness of the conversation had woken Jace and he quickly made his way through the hall to the library. He hoped he had made it before anyone else at the Institute had been woken up as well. His mouth gaped open at the sight in the library. "Ridley!" He shouted from the doorway.

Ridley was still standing in that back corner with her sister. However, now, she was hovering over Roslyn with black eyes and small flames escaping her fingertips. Jace's voice seemed to trail through her mind like a distant memory as she continued to scold and threaten her older sister. "You think that I am some monster because you can't do what I do. Newsflash there Ros, it isn't my fault you are incapable! Mum knew I was the strong child, the one with the potential. You are just her sweet little bookworm that she sends along out of sheer pity. Because that is what you are. Pitiful."

Her words dripped like daggers through Roslyn. They cut her like a million knives, piece by piece. But when Ridley had finished, Roslyn did not cower beneath her. Instead she stood, raising her head and turning away from Ridley, making her way through the library toward the door. Her sister however did not appreciate the gesture and with incredible speed, cut her off just a few feet from Jace.

Her hands were raised, heading for Roslyn's neck. "Maybe you don't realize that I could kill you, just snap your neck, with my bare hands. Roslyn, are you listening to –," her words were cut short as Jace pummeled her to the ground, holding her arms at her side as she writhed underneath him while he placed a silence rune upon her skin.

Jace looked up at Roslyn quickly. "I've got her. Are you alright?" Ridley kicked and tried to scream underneath him. She was a very strong girl. But Jace was stronger at this moment. His golden eyes stared down into her black ones and as they locked, he could feel her body slowing. The color returning just before they closed and her body went limp.

"Is she okay?!" Roslyn dropped down beside her sister, scooping her head into her lap. She sat there, softly running her fingers through the tangled blonde curls.

Jace didn't really know what to do. It was as if Ridley had been possessed. He stood there, looking down at the girls. Then, without much thought, he lifted her flimsy body up from Roslyn and into his arms. "Let's get her to bed."

When Ridley woke it was nearly dinner time at the Institute. The smell wafting through the halls from the kitchen. Her head was pounding, her fingertips burned. Slowly, she raised herself up, but the weight of her head pushed her back down. She groaned in pain as she buried her face in the pillow. Her hand reached over to her nightstand pulling her stele to her. _An iratze should help_, she thought. So she drew one above her heart and almost instantly, her head cleared.

With her legs swung over the bed side, she rested for another moment. She could hear voices outside her door, the sound of dishes clanking in hands. She strained for a minute in an attempt to hear them, then suddenly they were perfectly clear. Her ears taking in every word as if they were standing right next to her. It was something she didn't question. Outside was Jace. And her sister. But what she was hearing was not something she ever thought she would.

"Roslyn, its fine. No one will know about what happened last night." Jace whispered, but to Ridley it was not a whisper.

The words rang through her mind, tears filling her eyes. But then the door opened. Quickly, she rubbed her eyes clean and looked up at him as he set a tray down on the bed. He pulled a chair up to her, sitting across from her, pulling her fragile hands into his lap. She stared at him with a mixture of amazement and disgust. "Roslyn, its fine. No one will know about what happened last night," she repeated.

"You heard me?" His eyes went wide. "Do you remember last night?"

She shifted her weight. "What are you talking about?" Her eyes slanted into a glare. "If you wanted my sister that bad, you should have just told me."

Jace's mouth dropped open. "What!"

"Don't lie to me, Jace. I heard the conversation you two were having in front of my door. I heard every word."

His head shook in disbelief. "I didn't sleep with your sister last night, Ridley." He gripped her hands. "I slept with you. Right here, in a chair. You really don't remember anything, do you?"

The stern glare had disappeared leaving her there in front of him with tear filled eyes. "What happened?" She looked down at her hands. She knew something terrible had happened. "What have I done?"


	4. Show Me

"Show me again!" Jace called to her from the metal chair where he sat perched watching Ridley carefully as she climbed up the rope to the beam above his head. The beam she was pulling herself onto was one of many, set up about twenty feet in the rafters of the Institute's attic where the main training room was located. Typically, there would be cord tied around her for safety. But she insisted on not wearing it.

She twisted around with perfect coordination. "Haven't you seen me flip off this damn beam enough?" Ridley sat down on the beam, letting her toned legs dangle out into the air underneath her.

"Ridley, just do it."

"Fine." Ridley rose up on the beam, her bare feet skimming the edges cautiously. She was used to training in thick leathers and boots, but tonight she was in nothing more than a simple sports bar and yoga shorts. It was slightly throwing her balance off since she was not used to feeling so light. She looked down, focusing on the exact spot she wanted to land. With one deep breath, she dove forward and flipped off the beam. Her feet landed flat on the ground, twenty feet down. Jace's eyes scanned up and down her rune covered body, checking it for any irregularities or injuries. Nothing. He handed her a bottle of water as she flopped herself into the metal chair. "Can we go eat now? Or shower? Or heaven forbid, leave the damn Institute?" She chugged half the water down. "Come on. Let's go to Pandemonium and dance."

Jace raised an eyebrow and gave in. "Fine, but tomorrow, I want to train more. I can't help if you don't let me in."

Ridley lifted herself off the chair, sliding down onto the floor into a split bringing her head to her knee. "We will, I promise." Her voice muffled from the fact that she was face down and pretty much talking to the floor. She sat up, cracking her back. "Just don't push me too hard, it will set off my temper. I think we all have learned that."

Jace nodded as the door to the training room opened slowly. Isabelle stood in the doorway, coffee cup in hand. "You guys want to go out tonight?"

Ridley smiled at her. "Only if you help me get ready. I am in serious need of some girl time!"

Jace cringed as Isabelle shrieked loudly with joy. She pulled Ridley up off the floor and ushered her toward the door. "I am stealing her, Jace!" She called as she waved through the door behind Ridley.

Pandemonium was just as packed with Downworlders and mundanes as it had been the week before. As per usual, they glided in past the large bouncer guarding the door, making their way into the busy building. Isabelle and Ridley leading the boys behind them. Had it not been for Ridley's bright blonde hair, she and Isabelle would almost look like sisters. Both wearing skin-tight short black dresses, Isabelle accessorizing hers with thigh-high boots as Ridley opted for short booties. Neither one allowing themselves heels less than four inches.

Ridley could feel the eyes of everyone they passed on her skin. Normally that would just amp her up, but tonight was _supposed_ to be about fun. A night out to dance and drink and laugh. And it was certainly seeming to start out that way. Ridley and Jace were standing at a table in the corner together with Alec as Isabelle grinded up against a faerie night name Meloirn on the crowded dance floor.

"You need a drink?" Jace shouted over the music into her ear.

She nodded into his shoulder as he left a sweet kiss on her forehead. She stayed at the table as Alec and Jace made their way through the crowd and out of sight. Knowing that they were probably looking for trouble as well, she decided to turn her gaze back to the dance floor. The music blared through her, urging her to the floor. She looked around for Jace, but there was no site of him.

"Can I ask you to dance?" A voice came from behind her. She turned around, her eyes meeting the dark gaze of a stranger behind her.

The first thing that grabbed her were in fact those eyes. They were black, at least in the dim light of the club, and familiar. He was tall and thin, but just as muscular as Jace. His pale blonde hair was almost white in the dark lighting that surrounded them. And there was something intriguingly charming about his slightly crooked smile.

Ridley shook her head lightly. Jace would be back soon and she was sure he wouldn't be too happy if he found her on the dance floor with some random guy. But then again, she was not his girlfriend. And he left her there, probably to find a fight to start. So, she decided to change her mind. Something about this guy screamed safe. Maybe not safe. It was something. Something pulling her to him.

He held out a hand to her and once she took it he led her to the dance floor. Together, they moved to the music. The mystery man turning her around to face him, settling his hands on the small of her back. His eyes watched her table as Alec and Jace reappeared, keeping her facing him instead of letting her turn around to see that they had come back. But soon she grew tired of his forwardness and opted to head off of the dance floor.

And she returned to a not so happy Jace. "What is wrong with you?"

He shook his head and ignored the question not realizing that he was starting to make the wheels turn in the back of her mind. Her temper was creeping in on her. Her eyes started to go darker. But instead of blacking out and let her anger take her over, she just walked away leaving Jace standing at the table. He stared after her, watching as the guy from the dance floor trailed behind her. Finding it odd that this guy appeared from nowhere, he followed as well.

"Ridley, slow down." She thought Jace was the one calling after, but when she turned around on the sidewalk, she realized it was not Jace at all. There she stood face to face with the guy from the dance floor no longer able to be drowned out by the deafening music. He stared down at her. "I was hoping we could talk."

"How do you know my name?" She raised an eyebrow. "And talk? About what… You don't even know me." She turned to continue walking, but he gripped her wrist and pulled her back to him. Looking down at his hand, her eyes went dark again. This time she was not going to fight it. "I suggest you remove your hand now."

He let out a low chuckle leaving his hand where it was. "And what are you going to do, princess?" His grip tightened. "You have no idea who I am."

Her eyes slanted into a dark glare. _Focus_, she told herself. Her mind went blank, concentrating on the long fingers wrapped around her wrist. Flames began to curl out of her fingertips, the skin beneath her wrist becoming extremely hot. Her concentration steadied and the heat rose even hotter. His grip loosening as the heat under his grip become more and more unbearable.

Finally, he released her arm. "I see you have been working on that. Pretty impressive."

"Who are you?" Her eyes lightened as she brought herself back.

"Oh, you will find out soon enough."

The loud screech of tires behind her caused her to turn away from him, only for a second. But when she returned her focus, he was gone. "Fuck!"

Jace had finally made his way out of the club only to find Ridley alone and angry. "Who was that guy?"

Ridley, now sitting on the curb, shrugged her shoulders as she stared across the busy street. "I don't know. I really don't know." She turned to face him as he slumped himself down beside her. "There was something about him though. I don't trust him. And I most certainly do not like him." She rubbed her wrist trying to dull the stinging sensation that was pulsing through it. "I am pretty sure I made my point though when I told him to leave me alone."

"What did you do?" Jace stared at her, debating on whether he should put an arm around her. He did. "Tell me what happened, Ridley."

Ridley looked at him blankly. "I burned him." She stopped rubbing her wrist and held it over to him. It was covered in what looked to be ash and heat was still radiating from it. Tears began to stream down her face as she turned to him with pain filled eyes. "What is wrong with me?"

"Maybe it was this Jonathan from the journal. You said he had some matching features? Hair color and such?" Roslyn flipped through the parchment pages to an entry she had marked and handed it to Jace. "Here, read this."

Jace nodded and cleared his throat. "May 12th, 1994. They've named her Ridley. She is beautiful, the spitting image Jessamine Lovelace really with that long blonde hair and those dark eyes. If you watch her eyes long enough, you can see little sparks flickering. I know the blood is running through the veins under her skin. I fear her mother is taking her away though. I have heard talks of London. Daphne knows I watch her. She knows I am alive." His eyes shifted to Ridley, who had sprawled out on her back on the hard floor.

"And we did go to London. We left Idris right after my fourth birthday. Roslyn will remember, but I hardly do." She moved her body into a sitting position and turned around to them. "So, this man thinks that he did something to me to incorporate demon blood into my blood. How is that even possible?"

Roslyn shrugged her shoulders before answering her sister, "I have been searching the Institute for more journals, but that was the only one I could find. There are more though, they are numbered. Even if there is no name, just talks of a manor house on the outskirts of Alicante. He talks about visiting the ruins of the Fairchild manor home, so maybe the house is near it." Roslyn looked down at her younger sister. "We have to go for the Clave meeting as it is. We can search while we are home."

Ridley hesitated before reluctantly agreeing with her sister. "That is a few weeks away."

"But we are all going. It won't look suspicious when I show up with you, I will be coming with the Lightwoods as it is." Jace chimed in. "We will find the other journals."


	5. Today Was Her Day

Ridley had given up on the oddities of her Shadowhunter life for a few weeks to focus more on her dancing. Her audition was now only a day away and she had been training hard in her studio, mostly alone but Jace popped in a few times to watch. She actually had grown to love being watched while she danced. He made her feel free and normal.

It was starting to show that he would do almost anything for her. And today it was very apparent. Jace had begged Isabelle and Roslyn to charm Ridley into going out to shop for make up or clothes or shoes or something he didn't have to worry about. _Thank God, I am not a girl._

While the girls were out, lost in a department store somewhere on Fifth Avenue, Jace enlisted Alec's help in his secret plans to surprise Ridley. They took over the studio and covered the mirrors in runes. Strength, Courage, Faith, Equilibrium, Agility, and Love. Everywhere you turned, that was all you saw. Runes and large bouquets of bright pink peonies, Ridley's favorite flower. Jace had made sure everything was perfect.

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" Alec questioned as he set down another large vase.

Jace smiled to himself knowing that Alec would do the same for Magnus. "Tomorrow is a big day for her. She is nervous. Why not?"

Alec raised an eyebrow. "I would have never pictured her for one with nerves."

"Some of us feel. Not me, of course. But she is a girl." Jace smirked as Alec let out a short chuckle.

Alec was about to throw a sly comment Jace's way when his phone started to vibrate vigorously in his pocket. _Isabelle._ "Yes, little sister?" The conversation was brief, just a simple warning on their timeline.

"Are they on their way?" Jace looked over to him from one of the mirrors.

Alec answered with a nod before helping Jace clear out of the studio. "Ten minutes." He patted Jace on the back then headed to the library, leaving Jace alone in the training room.

The girls were not exactly quiet when they returned to the Institute. They stumbled off the elevator drowning in their laughter. Jace could hear them from his room, where he sat alone on his perfectly made bed. He knew that any moment she would barge through the door with Isabelle probably on her heels to drag him off to Taki's for dinner.

_And there she is_, he thought as he heard a knock on the door. He stood up, smoothing his crumpled shirt. "Yeah?"

"Let me in."

"Now, who could be at my door?" He smiled as he opened the door to reveal just who he thought it would be. Ridley. "Yes, my lady? What can I do for you?"

Ridley wrapped her arms around his neck. "Feed me." She lightly kissed his cheek. "Come on, we are all going. That means you too." She took hold of his hand and pulled him out of the door into the hallway.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm hungry." His mind thought of what to say next. What excuse could he use to get her into the studio? Then it hit him. So simple. "Hey, come with me. I left my stele up in the training room."

Thoughtlessly, she followed him up the stairs. She rambled on about her day of shopping with the girls as he led the way up to the studio. Her focus was still elsewhere when they reached the door, then she realized that they had stopped. "What are we doing here? I thought you needed your stele?"

Jace hushed her before opening the door and giving her a light tug through as he flicked on the lights. Her eyes opened wide in awe of the display in front of her. She moved herself into the middle of the room, her eyes scanning all around. "Do you like it?" He asked.

She stared at him, mouth gaping open. "I don't know what to say." Tears started to fill her eyes, tears of happiness and shock. "This is amazing!" She turned to him, once again wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him feverishly.

"Ahem, looks like we had bad timing… again," Isabelle said as her and Alec walked through the door with Roslyn trailing behind them. Her eyes darted around the studio. "Oh my. This is beautiful, Jace!"

Alec cleared his throat. "I don't mean to break up this whole love fest, but I am starving." He smirked as everyone stared at him, holding back their laughter.

They filed out of the studio, heading downstairs to the elevator. Jace held Ridley back from the group a little, holding hands as they walked. "You are going to do great tomorrow. You know that, right?" His voice was as soft as a whisper flowing through her ears. His breath tickling her neck.

She smiled softly, pulling him to a stop in the hallway. The others hadn't noticed. "Jace –," she started, "You are wonderful." He pulled her against him as she ran her fingers through his messy golden hair.

Isabelle poked her head out of the elevator. "Come on, you two!" She watched as they broke apart and hurried through the large doors that Alec had been holding open for them.

* * *

The next morning was an early one. Bright sunlight invaded her room through open curtains. Jace laid silently in the spot next to hers, sleeping calmly. In an effort not to wake him, she rose slowly and moved quietly to the bathroom.

Her long hair was neatly brought up into a perfect bun. She pulled a long-sleeved black leotard up over brand new pink tights. Most of her runes were covered by the sleeves, the rest she covered with makeup. She hated having to cover them up, but she didn't hide them all. A small rune was scrawled on her hand between the base of her thumb and her wrist made its presence known.

She had thought twice about waking Jace. But when she finished in the bathroom, she opened the door to find him gone from the room. He returned a few moments later. His hair was smoothed out and he wore a nice black dress shirt with his typical black pants and boots. "Just went to clean up. Are you ready, princess?" He held his hand out with a smile.

She tossed her pointe shoes into a simple brown Louis Vuitton bag that she slung over her shoulder and took ahold of her future. Jace. Joffrey. The dreams. Not the nightmares. The nightmares were none existent today.

Today was her day.

Jace had snuck into the back row of the large auditorium to watch her, another bouquet of peonies hidden underneath his chair. She danced flawlessly in his eyes. Her nerves seemed to fall away as soon as she found him, her eyes stayed locked on him for her entire audition.

After she was finished, he waited outside for her. She ran to him, a weight seemed to be lifted off of her. She was light and airy, a smile plastered on her face. He kissed her proudly as he led her out the front doors. "What do you want to do with the rest of the day?"

She shrugged her shoulders thoughtlessly. "I have no idea." She stopped. "I have worked so hard for that audition and now it is over. I don't have a clue on what I want to do now." Her soft laughter bounded around them causing Jace to smile.

Happiness looked good on her.


	6. You Are Not My Mother

Ridley had been tossing and turning fitfully through the night. Her attempt to sleep was futile. The image of the guy she had met at Pandemonium over a month ago was plaguing her mind. It was as if he was calling to her. At one point, it was just him alone. Then he was with a man whom Ridley could see was older than him but shared the same features. And lastly, he showed himself with a woman. A raven-haired, darkly beautiful woman.

Her eyes flew open and she scrambled herself up into a sitting position. Her hair matted from sweat, her thin tank top soaked. She set her feet down softly onto the hard floor beneath her, raising herself from the bed. The covers a mess from her constant spastic movements in her sleep. She took a deep breath as she scanned the dark room before retreating to her bathroom, drawing the door closed behind her.

Steam rose around the sterile white walls as the temperature of the water rose in the shower. She stood still for a moment, in nothing but her panties, examining her body. The cuts, scars, faded bruises. Her runes. The shadows under her dark eyes. She didn't feel like herself.

After stripping away her last bit of clothing, she moved into the intense heat of the shower, letting the scalding water rain over her. Her eyes closed almost instantly. She stood still, the water flowing down around her.

Suddenly, she saw him again. Her eyes burst open and darted around her. Her body, however, felt blank. Pliable really. She watched, as if from outside of her body, as she picked up her razor from the holder on the wall with her right hand. It glided gently through the air, amidst the water, to her left palm where she took it and cut a long thing slice. Dark blood dripped furiously from it, skimming down past her wrist to her elbow where it proceeded to change the color of the floor of the shower. Without thinking, she watched herself dip her fingers into the pool forming in her palm and raise them to the wall of the shower. _Brother_, she wrote in ruby letters across the blank white.

As soon as she finished the last letter, both hands dropped to her sides and her body went limp all over. She looked at the word, images flashing through her mind. No words, just a loud shriek came forward from her mouth as she dropped to her knees under the rain of clear water. She sat still for a moment, gripping her hand closed. She watched as the blood dripped down and faded away through the drain. And then she saw black. The small Angelic rune on her hand was fading, washing away with the blood from her hand. Within a few moments, it was gone completely.

And then, as if waking from a dream, everything went black before returning the way it was before. No cut, no blood. Her rune still very visible. The razor still in its holder on the wall. And no words. Anywhere.

Her visions and daydreams were becoming more and more vivid as the months drew her closer to her eighteenth birthday. But this one was different. Her hand still stung where the cut should have been. She was still on the floor of the shower, on her knees and under the pressure of the water. This was as real as ever.

After recuperating for a few moments, she finished her shower and stepped out into the foggy bathroom. She reached for a towel, bringing it to her face, wiping away the excess water before wrapping her long wet hair up with it. A second towel was the wrapped carefully around her thin body. She shivered as she opened the door that lead back into her room. Her feet padding softly on the floor to the closet where she instinctively dropped the towel and proceeded to dress herself.

That is when she heard it, soft breathing. She could feel the eyes on her. Slowly, she turned herself around only to find a figure sitting in the dark on the edge of her bed which caused her to scramble to find the towel and cover herself back up.

At first, she thought it was probably Jace. She could tell it was the silhouette of a male with longer hair, thin and taller than her even when sitting. But as she neared, the person came into view and she was extremely glad she had covered herself.

It was not Jace.

"Expecting someone else?" The voice rang through the darkness, familiar and terrifying. She could see him now. As she moved closer, the figure shifted into the stream of moonlight that was filtering in through the window. His mouth was curved into a sly smirk. "You called for me, sister?"

Ridley's mouth gaped open. "I am not your sister." She stood, half in shock, at the sight of the person before her.

The guy from the club.

"Well, not technically, but Mother says we share the same blood." His dark eyes followed her as she moved to back away from him. "That's right, you don't even know my name." He laughed lightly. "I guess, you should…" He held out a hand to her. "I'm Jonathan."

A rush of voices slammed into Ridley's brain. _Jonathan._ She shook her head to stop them and looked back at him. "How did you get in here?" She closed the door to the closet behind her and clothed herself, making sure to quietly slide a few seraph blades into her boots and hide a few daggers elsewhere. "Tell me why you are here," she demanded from behind the closed door.

"Well, it's a good thing I am not your real brother because I would definitely burn in Hell for the thoughts that ran through my mind after seeing you naked," he said, the words dripping from his perverted mouth causing her to cringe.

She composed herself and opened the door. "Tell me why you are here. Tell me what you want with me."

He rose from the bed and moved closer to her. "Mother wants to see you." His mouth curving up at the sides. "She sent me to bring you."

Ridley shifted herself away from him. "I am not going anywhere with you." Her voice was louder than it had been. She raised it in hopes that Jace or Isabelle or anyone would hear her.

He cocked his head to the side, letting his pale white hair fall. "Yes, you are. Mother will be pleased to see you." His hands reached out for her, but she moved quickly. Quicker than he had realized because she was now behind him, dagger in hand.

"Don't move," she whispered as she held the knife to his back with one hand, her other reaching for her phone that was behind her on the trunk at the end of the bed.

Jonathan didn't seem to notice. He slowed his breathing, keeping it steady. He did as he was told. Although he knew he would have no problem taking her down, he figured he would let her have her way for a little. Maybe gain a little of her trust.

She stayed behind him for a minute, hiding herself as she redialed the last call that was placed. Jace.

"You don't want to meet her?" Jonathan questioned, his back stiffening as she dug in the point of the blade a little more. "I am not going to hurt you, Ridley."

She looked up at the back of his head then shoved him away from her. "How do you know my name?"

He turned around, his eyes slanting. "Ridley Ophelia Trueblood. Such a sweet name. You do know who Ophelia was though, right? Tragic story, really –"

"Stop!" She cut him off, dagger outstretched in front of her. "Who is this woman I am supposed to meet?"

He held his hand out to her. "Come with me. I will take you to her. Mother will be pleased."

She shook her head. "Tell me who she is!" Her tone was loud and demanding as she was growing more and more frustrated. She knew she could kill him, but she assumed that whoever this woman was would just send more after her. Then she thought that maybe she should go to her. _Maybe she knows what is wrong with me._

"She is whose blood runs through your veins," he stated simply.

Her eyes widened, but she said nothing. She returned the dagger to its holster and pulled her long blonde hair into a quick ponytail. After sliding her slender arms into her leather jacket, she looked up at him. "I will go with you."

His mouth curved into yet another smirk, this one seeming more evil than the last. It was a victory smile, she assumed. His hand was still outstretched to her, she took it cautiously. "Come on then."

"Where exactly are we going?" She asked as she turned back to the trunk and picked up her black cell phone. She stuck it in her pocket, not ending the call.

"You'll see." He held her hand tightly as he led her to the window. "You can manage the fall, can't you?" The window creaked as he pushed it open.

"How did you know?" She pulled herself up onto the windowsill and looked down at the courtyard below. "I'll see you down there," she said and then she dropped out of sight.

Her phone flew from her pocket with the impact. Scrambling for it, she reached it before Jonathan had jumped. She watched as he fell through the air, landing perfectly on his feet. "Follow me," she whispered as she ended the call and locked the phone. Quickly, she slid it back into her pocket and ran to catch up to him.

* * *

Jace set the phone down once he could no longer hear Ridley's voice. He shook his head and walked over to his jacket, filling it with seraph blades and other weapons. _What is she thinking?_ Thoughts began to race through his mind. He slammed his fists down on the desk causing everything to stop around him.

Once he had everything he felt that he would need, he left his room and headed down the long hall to Alec's bedroom. "Alec!" He banged of the door, hard and loud. "Get up!"

There was a rustling behind the door, then it opened to reveal a sleepy-eyed Alec. "What?"

"Get dressed, get your weapons. We have a problem." Jace moved from his door to Isabelle's, knocking vigourously.

She was quick to the door, still dressed with her hair tied up and her vest in hand. "I heard you. I'm ready." The shutting of her door echoing down through the corridor.

Alec joined them swiftly. "Where the hell are we going? It is three in the morning." He hoisted his jacket on, sliding a blade into a holster on his belt.

Jace took a deep breath. "Ridley. There was someone here, they tried to take her. I heard the whole conversation, she called me from her phone. We need to follow her."

Alec raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed. "You mean to tell me, this girl… We barely know her, mind you. She has only been here a few short months. And she went willingly with someone? I'll assume that is what you mean by they _tried_ to take her –," Alec paused to watch Jace nod in response. "Look, she is strong. She isn't like that weak older sister of hers. Why would she just go?"

A door opened from behind them and Roslyn stepped into the witchlight lit hallway, dressed and ready to go. "I am not weak. I am just quiet. I calculate my moves, I am not as impulsive as you three are." Her eyes glared at Alec specifically, she knew he was the one who had talked down of her.

Alec lowered his head in apology. "I didn't mean to offend you, Roslyn. I was caught up in the moment." He looked up at her. "I'm sorry."

Jace and Isabelle stared at her. She looked different. She looked like her sister. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled into a high pony-tail and her glasses were gone. Her battle leathers were tight and so was her tank top, and her heels could have gave Isabelle's a run for their money.

"Are you going to just stand there all night or can we go find my sister?" She sneered in their direction.

All three nodded almost in unison and they headed out of the Institute.

* * *

Jonathan had finally released her hand and came to a halt in front of a rickety gate. They were in Brooklyn, she knew that much, standing at the entrance to a cemetery. Though it was too dark to find the name.

"Where are we?" Ridley questioned as she stayed close on his heels. She couldn't determine was creeped her out more, the cemetery itself or Jonathan in front of her. She didn't trust him.

He looked back at her blankly, reaching for her hand but she moved it away. "Just follow me."

She hung back behind him just a little, which he didn't seem to notice, and pulled out her phone quickly and quietly. Green-Wood Cemetery was all she typed before sending it and hiding her phone in an inside pocket of her jacket.

He brought her to a worn down statue deep in the cemetery. It was beautiful, she thought at first. A woman with her two small children, a girl and a boy. Then she saw her. _That woman_. The one from her dreams. The sight of her causing Ridley to stop dead in her tracks, not able to move forward.

The woman turned to her, moving closer with an outstretched arm. "Ridley, my dear, do not be afraid." Her black hair was waving in the wind and her eyes looked soft, almost sweet. "I am your mother."

Ridley backed up as the woman moved toward her, her hand slowly reaching for the dagger on her belt. "You are not my mother. Who are you?"

"Oh, sweetie. I go by many names." Her eyes darted to Ridley's hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

She pulled her hand away and stood still. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled, almost gently. "You may call me Lilith."

Ridley's eyes shifted to Jonathan, who was standing behind the woman and staring at Ridley. "You mean to tell me that you brought me to the mother of the damn warlocks? Is that what you are going to tell me next? I am not a Shadowhunter, I am a warlock?" She laughed, loudly, as she shifted her eyes back to her.

"No, dear. You are a Shadowhunter. But I gave away some of my blood to create you and Jonathan. You were drinking it in before you were even born. His father, and I, made you who you are. I am your rightful mother, not that worthless woman you claim. Did you think she did not know what you are?"

Ridley stared blankly. "Her name is Daphne. She carried me, gave birth to me, and has taken care of –," she stopped.

Lilith had raised a hand, causing her to break in her sentence. "Has she really taken care of you? How many Institutes have you seen in your short life?"

"But that wasn't her fault. My aunt always made those arrangements for me and my sister. My mother agreed, said it was the Trueblood way." Ridley eyes travelled to the ground. _This woman is crazy._

"And what was this aunt's name?"

Ridley cocked her head to the side in thought. "Ita." That is when it dawned on her. She slowly started running names through her mind. The seventeen names of Lilith. Ita was one of them. _Oh, no._

"And you never met this Aunt Ita, did you?"

"No." Ridley hung her head, her stomach twisted. She felt as if she were going to throw up right there all over some poor woman's grave. _How could this be true? Everything is a lie,_ she thought. She slumped to the ground, her head in her hands. Tears filling her deep brown eyes.

Lilith moved closer to her, placing a cold hand on her shoulder. "There, there. Families can be rough. I just wanted to protect you, my daughter."


	7. Mixed Blood

_**Hey guys! I am sorry it has taken me so long to update my stories. I have had a lot going on lately, but everything finally settled down. Thank you for the support and reviews!**_

* * *

When Jace and the others reached Green-Wood Cemetery, there was nothing but darkness. The eerie darkness that lays over the city right before dawn. There were no voices. No lights.

There was nothing.

Jace held himself back at the entrance as Alec and Isabelle moved forward passing gravestones and statues in search of Ridley. Roslyn followed behind them with her back turned, walking backward with her witchlight in one hand and a ready seraph blade in the other. Jace fell in after Roslyn and they made their way further into the heart of the cemetery. Then he heard it. Whimpering. He lifted his seraph blade causing a bright glow to fall over the area around him, his eyes searching every inch.

That is when he saw her.

Her booted foot hanging out into the visible area from behind a statue of a woman and her two children. She was moving slightly. Blood covered the dry grass underneath her. As Jace moved closer, he could see that the side of her throat had been sliced open and there was a deep cut along her exposed midriff. Her long blonde hair was matted with mud and sweat, her face streaked with black tears and blood. "Ridley!" He ran to her side, kneeling nervously as he searched for where he could put his hands without hurting her.

Her eyes stared up at him blankly. They were dark and empty, tears filling the from the pain. Her lips quivered as she tried to produce words. "Jace," she tried to push more out, "my leg." The pain took her over. Everything around her began to spin, her eyes growing heavy with the sudden dizziness. She could no longer hold herself together. Her body felt like it was ripping apart and she clenched her fists to fight it. She was falling into the darkness that had been closing in on her, her arms reaching for Jace whom she could no longer see.

* * *

_"My dear, open your eyes."_

_Ridley's eyes fluttered open softly. She blinked a few times to adjust to the brightness of the room around her. The gold walls shimmered as the sunlight threw itself through the large windows onto them. She was in a large, luxurious bed with deep red satin sheets that had wrapped themselves around her naked body. In the distance, she could see a wisp of black around moving toward her. Her vision still too blurry to make out who it belonged to._

_Her eyes focused in on the woman. Lilith._

_"You shouldn't have fought me, my sweet child."_

_Ridley pushed herself up against the headboard, her eyes slanting into a glare. "I am not your child."_

_Lilith moved to the bed, seating herself on the edge. "Ridley, don't you want to know who you are? You didn't let me explain anything at the cemetery and you must feel pretty stupid for fighting me alone. Not that your little boyfriend and his friends could have helped you."_

_"You knew he would come for me."_

_"And I knew you would try to fight me and your brother," Lilith added._

_Ridley could feel a wetness running down her neck and instinctively she moved her hand to it. Blood. She knew it was blood._

_Lilith reached for her hand. "Sweetheart, you shouldn't touch that."_

_Her eyes shifted to Lilith. "This is a dream." She looked around at the room she barely noticed before. There was nothing familiar about it. "This is damn dream. They came for me, they found me. I remember."_

_Lilith stared at her and nodded. "Yes, he came for you. But you need to know that he will never love you completely. He has mixed blood too."_

_Ridley's back straightened. "Mixed blood?"_

_"Yes, dear. Think about his golden eyes. They won't mesh with your black eyes, dear. You have demon blood. You have to realize he will never love you like Jonathan and I do," Lilith explained. Her gaze had softened as if she was trying to protect Ridley, not hurt her._

_Ridley shook her head. "I don't understand. Why won't our blood mix?" And that is when it dawned on her. His golden eyes, my black ones._

_Lilith stood from the bed, smoothing her long black gown as she looked down at Ridley. "Child, he has the blood of an angel."_

Ridley's eyes fluttered open softly the same way they did in her dream. Although this time when she woke, she was no longer in the gold room. Sterile white walls surrounded her now, making her feel safe. She knew she was in the Institute's infirmary. She knew she was home. Now all she wanted was Jace.

But all she saw was dark hair coming toward her again. She closed her eyes thinking that maybe she was still dreaming, but nothing happened. Her eyes focused in on the person coming closer and she finally made out who it was. It was Isabelle.

"You're awake!" Isabelle sat down next to her bed in a plain metal chair with a warm washcloth in her hand. "Let me clean you up a little before Jace comes back," she said as she lightly ran the cloth over Ridley's face.

Ridley smiled and pain tore through her body. Her throat, although almost healed, was still sore and tight where she remember Jonathan's blade had cut her. "Where is he?"

"Sleeping," Isabelle replied. "We all took turns watching over you. He will be down soon, but I bet he can already sense that you are awake."

"What do you mean?"

Isabelle giggled lightly. "That boy loves you. He has been a mess. I am sure his heart can tell."

* * *

_Jace wandered down the long corridor in search of Ridley. Behind him the chatter of people in the hall lingered and music played softly. He pulled at his dress gear with nervousness and worry. _Where is she?

_He had made it to her room, rapping on the door loudly. No answer._

_Something is wrong._

_Swiftly, he pulled out his stele and unlocked it. He slid inside the dark gold room quietly, his eyes searching for her. They moved to the bed and that is when he saw her. A dark haired woman leaning over a muted Ridley._

_Ridley's eyes shot to him, but the woman didn't seem to notice. She was raising her hands and chanting in a language he thought was Latin, but it was too quiet to make out. He could see the slight brown color being drained from Ridley's eyes turning the as black as night._

_Jace barged forward from the shadows, ready seraph blade in hand. "Stop!" His voice was strong and sure. "Leave her be!"_

_The woman brought her hands down and raised her head to look at him. "Jace Lightwood. The angel boy. How nice of you to join us."_

_Some color began to return to Ridley's eyes and she stared at him. Her mouth moved, but nothing could be heard. She just kept mouthing the words "get out" to him._

_He noticed a new rune drawn on her hand and shifted his gaze back to the woman. "Who are you?!"_

_The woman chuckled lightly. "I am her mother." She moved closer to him and extended her hand. "I am Lilith, but I go by many names."_

_Lilith. A greater demon. He pushed her hand away and turned to move closer to Ridley. "But you are a demon. You can't draw runes."_

_"No, but I can."_

_A man's voice rang through the room. Jace watched Lilith slink away from him and toward the voice causing him to turn around to face the man on the opposite side of the bed. His eyes focused on Ridley who was squirming on the bed in an attempt to break free._

_"Do you not know who I am, boy?" The man brought his hand to Ridley's face causing Jace to break his gaze._

_He looked at the man. His white hair and harsh features made Jace realize quickly exactly who he was. "Valentine," his voice was light as if cautious. "But what do you want with her? Just let her go."_

_Valentine let out a bounding laugh. "Not a chance. Today is your wedding day and I want to make sure she fully realizes the gifts I gave her."_

_Jace's eyes slanted into a questioning glare. "What are you talking about?"_

_"Oh, my dear little angel boy. You do not know what your pretty bride is?" Lilith's voice was thick with sarcasm._

_His eyes glanced down at Ridley as he mouthed three quick words. I love you._

_"We always thought that her and Jonathan would be the ones who would find each other and connect due to their blood," Lilith said with a cool tone. She moved behind Valentine, snaking an arm down his chest._

_He smiled and continued, "Maybe what they say about opposites attracting is true. Because you two couldn't be more different."_

_Jace looked up at them. "What are you talking about?"_

_Lilith let out a deep laugh, more like a loud cackle. "Dear boy, she has my blood running through her veins."_

Jace shot up in his bed, eyes wide open. Sweat matted his hair and soaked his clothes. It was just a dream, he thought as he swung himself up and out of bed.

He made his way down to the infirmary through the long empty hallway almost in a daze. When he reached the door, all of the changed. His eyes widened at the site before him. He blinked multiple times as if to wake up from another dream. But there she was and she was awake. He moved closer, his smile growing wide on his face. "You're awake?"

Ridley's eyes met his. "I am," she said with smile.

He rushed to her side, wrapping her up in his arms. She winced beneath him in pain. "I am sorry, I got too excited." He released her slowly, scooping up her hands in his. "Ridley..."

She looked up at him, meeting his soft gaze with another soft smile. "I am okay, Jace."

"I know that," he said as his eyes followed Isabelle out of the room. They were alone now. He could tell her. He didn't care about the dream, he knew what he felt. And he was going to tell her. Right now.

"What is it?" A look of worry shot through her brown eyes.

He held her hands tighter and took a deep breath. "I love you."


	8. Perfect

After a few weeks of healing, Ridley was back on the beams of the training room. She had begun to push herself harder than she ever had before refusing to let what happened to her at Green-Wood happen to her the next time. And she knew there would be a next time.

Although Jonathan had not bothered her all summer, but her dreams had continued. They had become a regular occurrence for her.

Jace had become accustomed to them as well considering he now slept in her bed on most nights. Their relationship had become more serious since he told her he loved her in the infirmary the day she woke up. She had reciprocated his feelings and he felt he had to protect her even more now than he had before. She was the most important thing to him and he knew he would do anything for her.

Isabelle also became a permanent fixture in her day to day life. They had grown very close over such a short amount of time, not that either of them minded. They shopped together. They fought together. And they made a great team.

Ridley was glad to have Isabelle even more now that Roslyn was getting on a plane today.

Roslyn had had enough of New York City and though she felt terrible for deserting her younger sister, she knew it was time for her to go. She missed London and planned to return to the Institute there. In all their travels over the years, all the places they had seen. London was home for Roslyn. She just wanted to go home.

"I am going to miss you," Ridley said quietly as she gave her sister one last hug. "I have never been without you."

Roslyn frowned. "I know. But I think this is something that you have to handle yourself. I can't always be there, you know?"

Ridley nodded, "Yeah, I know that. Doesn't mean I don't want you here though."

"All passengers for flight 2688 to London, this is your final boarding call."

Roslyn's eyes began to fill with tears, but she fought them and held back. She took hold of her sister's hand and grasped it tightly before releasing it and walking away from her. "I'll see you soon," she said with a smile then she disappeared through the gate.

Ridley was glad that no one could see her as she walked back through the airport alone. Tears streamed down her face quietly and she let them. She refused to hold them back.

When she made it back to the Institute, she retreated to her studio with plans to avoid everyone for the rest of the day. Music blared through the speakers and she danced. She danced for hours. She danced until her feet bled. And then, she danced more. She felt lost and all she wanted to do was disappear.

She was in her own little world when Jace decided to enter the room. He did so cautiously with a soft knock before slipping through the door and standing quietly in the corner just watching her dance. It had become one of his favorite things to do and she no longer threatened his life when he did decide to slide in. He knew she was sad about her sister leaving New York and he had had enough of her wallowing in her own self-pity.

She had her back turned to him when she caught his gaze in the mirror. "I knew you were there, you know?"

He smiled devilishly in the reflection. "I figured you did." His steps were light as he moved toward her from across the room. "How's the leg?"

Ridley looked down at her right shin now reminded that just a few weeks ago it was completely crushed. "It is fine. What are you doing up here?" She turned around as she felt his strong arms wrap around her waist and lift her up softly.

He kissed her gently on the shoulder and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "You have to get out of this room." He felt her shiver underneath him as he proceeded to lay a trail of soft kisses up her neck.

"And what did you have in mind?" Her lips curving up at the sides as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Suddenly, he stopped and pulled away from her. "That's my girl! First, I am going to fatten you up a bit with some good food. Then I think I will bring you home and ravish you." He smirked and added, "How does that sound to you?"

Ridley laughed at him. "I knew I loved you for a reason."

"Come on, we are going to go somewhere special." He laid a sweet kiss on her lips and drug her out of the studio.

* * *

Isabelle's mouth dropped at the sight of the small box that Jace had just placed in her hands. It was Tiffany blue with a pristine white ribbon tied around it. "Is this what I think it is, Jace?" Her eyes shifted to his face.

He nodded with a grin from ear to ear. "Do you think I am crazy?"

"Love is love. It doesn't live on a schedule," she explained. "I think that if you truly love her and this is what you want to do, then you should do it. It isn't like anyone from our world will look at you any differently. We all know us Nephilim don't live forever."

Jace stared up at her. She had a point. It was not uncommon for Shadowhunters of their age to get married. They could die at any moment, so why wouldn't you want to spend every moment you can with the one you love if you found her. And Jace knew that he did.

"I love her, Izzy." His voice was strong and sure. "Tonight. I am going to do it tonight."

Isabelle smiled up at him. "Do you think she will like the mundane tradition of an engagement ring?"

"I think so. She comes from a good family. I think they would appreciate it too."

"Well, I say go for it! What is the worst that could happen?" Isabelle tossed him the box and got up. She stopped at his door and gave him a wink, then disappeared into the hallway.

Jace sat at his desk for a good while, staring at the box in front of him. It was weird for him to care about Ridley this much, he never cared about a girl like this. It was like he had been woken up. The world around him had become so much clearer now.

He took a glance at his watch and pushed himself up from the desk. Now or never, he thought as he slipped the box into an inside pocket of his leather jacket. He smoothed his black dress shirt down and slipped out the door.

There she was. The mere sight of her stopped him dead in his tracks and all he could do was stare.

She looked down self-consciously. "Is this too much? You said dress up, but you won't tell me where we are going." Her fingers moved to her wrist and tugged at the lace sleeve of her tight black Gucci dress nervously. She moved toward him gracefully, the heels of her stiletto booties clicking loudly on the floor underneath her.

Jace nodded and smiled. "You look amazing," he said as he took her hand and led her to the elevator. He held her close as it descended.

As they walked out into the calm September night, he helped her into her leather jacket. Even though it was still plenty warm, it was a Nephilim necessity. "So, do you want to take the subway or a cab?" He asked her when they made it off the Institute grounds.

"Where are we going?"

Jace shook his head and smirked. "I am not telling you." His hand slid down to the small of her back as he guided her to the street toward a black town car. "How about a nice clean car for that pretty dress?"

Her eyes widened. "You are sure making a girl feel at home right now," she said jokingly as she slid into the car. Jace followed, nodding to the driver who shut the door after him.

Ridley was still clueless as to where he was taking her until the car came to a halt at Lincoln Center. "You're taking me to the ballet?" She was glowing with excitement, giddy like a child. The driver opened Jace's door and once he removed himself, he held a hand out for her. Suddenly, she was quite at ease with what she decided to wear.

"Swan Lake," he stated proudly. "Your favorite, I believe."

She nodded happily in response as they made there way across the plaza to the theater. Once inside, her mouth gaped with amazement at the beauty of the promenade. Beautiful paintings covered the walls up to the ceiling and a large Elie Nadelman statue stood in the center of the floor. "What in the world possessed you to do this?"

Jace wrapped his arms around her waist and left a sweet kiss on her cheek. "Because I love you. This a big part of your life. You were supposed to start at Joffrey this month, remember?"

She smiled lightly, a little sad. He was right. She had gotten the acceptance letter right after the accident, but because she had been so worried about her leg, she had pushed the idea out of her mind and missed the registration date for this year. So, she was determined to be ready for next year.

"I have something for you, " he said as he pulled an envelope of out his pocket and handed it to her.

She looked confused, but opened it anyways. As she read the letter, her hand moved to her mouth to stifle the shriek of pure shock of what the words said. _Thank you for accepting our invitation to join us this academic year, we will see you on September 16th._ "I am going to Joffrey," she said quietly as if to reassure herself that it was true. "But, how did you -?"

"I sent in the registration forms for you. Isabelle helped me."

She just stood there, staring at him. Then it finally hit her and she jumped into his arms, planting happy kisses all over his face and neck. "I got into to the Joffrey Ballet!" Her voice was loud, but it didn't seem to phase either one of them. "We did it!" People around them watched in awe of the young couple, which made Ridley suddenly aware that they were visible and she didn't care. She was too happy to let anything ruin this moment.

* * *

As they walked away from Lincoln Center, the city lit up for them like a Christmas tree. Everything was bright and perfect, it was like a dream.

Jace intertwined his fingers with hers and took the lead as they walked through the city, opting out of the town car per her request. She looked like an angel to him in the light of the New York night, her eyes twinkling with elation. He wanted to just stop right here and ask her, but he forced himself forward toward the next destination of the perfect night he had planned. Gray's Papaya.

Ridley felt as if she were floating on a cloud. _This night cannot get any better,_ she thought. Her eyes shifted up to Jace and she pulled him to a halt. Her arms up around his neck and she kissed him passionately. She realized at that moment that he was her "one."

Her stomach began to rumble causing her to break away from him. In all the excitement, she realized, they hadn't stopped for food and she had nothing all day. She smiled sweetly up to him and asked if he was hungry too. Instead of replying, he took her hand and they moved across the street.

"How about some hot dogs, my lady?" Jace asked as they stopped in front of Gray's.

Ridley giggled and nodded in acceptance. "Do you remember what I get?"

"Mustard and onions, and a large papaya juice." And with that he ducked through the door, leaving her on the loud city street.

A light breeze blew by her as she leaned up against the building causing her to zip her leather jacket closed. Her long blonde hair whipped around her blocking her sight for a moment, then fell back down her back where it had rested before. Something made her feel uneasy and she pushed herself off the wall, moving into the middle of the sidewalk. Her eyes darted around and then she saw him. Or so she thought.

"Jonathan?" She blinked quickly, but he was gone. If he was even there at all. My mind is playing tricks on me, she thought to calm herself down. And it worked, or maybe the sight of Jace made it better.

It was like deja vu sitting on the same bench in Central Park has they had many months before, back when she had first arrived at the Institute. Though this time she was dressed much nicer. _Much better than sitting in a pair of legging and a sweatshirt._ Jace looked just as handsome as he did that day, he still gave her the same butterflies. "This is the most perfect night," she said sweetly before taking another bite of her hot dog.

Jace smiled. "It is, isn't it?" His mind started racing. The box. He was trying to find the best moment to do what he had been so anxiously waiting to do for weeks. This was it. "You know I am completely in love with you, right?"

Ridley had finished her food and crumpled up the paper, tossing it into the empty bag. She looked up at him with a slight air of confusion. "You sound as if you think I doubt that."

Jace shook his head, pushing the bag away. "No, no. Not at all." His hands were shaking slightly.

Ridley smirked. "I was just messing with you. Of course, I know. Tonight has been amazing."

"Good, I am glad." Jace took her hand is his, shifting his weight on the bench to prepare himself to move to the ground on a knee. "I want to make it even better."

"I don't know if that is even possible," she laughed.

"It is, I hope." His voice trembled a bit. "Ridley, this is the exact spot where I first realized that I was in love with you." He smiled at her reaction and moved to the ground, pulling the box from his jacket pocket.

"Jace..." Her voice shook. She didn't want to overthink what was happening just in case it wasn't what she thought it was.

He opened the blue box to reveal a perfect round-cut diamond centered on a band of smaller, perfectly placed diamonds. It was simple, but beautiful. It was big, but not too big. "Ridley Ophelia Trueblood, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Her mind raced. A million thoughts rushed in. She quickly tried to place her words. She tried to push her voice through her lips. The word she was screaming inside.

And then she said it. "Yes."


	9. I Am Different

Ridley perched herself up on the sill of the large window in her room. The early fall breeze blowing through her long blonde hair. Her journal resting on her knees as she wrote. The sun shining down on her face.

"Ridley?" Isabelle's voice flowed across the room. She slipped through the half-cracked door and moved toward Ridley and the window. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Ridley closed her brown leather journal and set it aside. "I'm just thinking," she told her with a smile. "But hey, do you think I could show you something?"

Isabelle had become such a fixture in Ridley's life once Roslyn left and she felt now that she could completely trust her. Though she could quite possibly be wrong, she didn't care. She was done living in this limbo of fear and confusion. She planned to hold the people that cared about her close instead of pushing them away or running from them.

Isabelle nodded in response, moving closer to take a seat at the desk. She watched Ridley intently. "You can trust me," she said sincerely.

Ridley took a deep breath in before flicking her wrist causing the flames to surface through her fingertips. She played with them in front of Isabelle, distorting them into different intensities and heights. Her eyes stayed focused on her hands, too nervous to look at Isabelle's shocked face. Then she flicked her wrist again and the flames disappeared.

The sight before her amazed her. Isabelle looked up at Ridley wide-eyed. "How did you do that? Can you do anything else?"

The questions sounded through Ridley's ears. She could tell that Isabelle wasn't afraid of her or freaked out by her odd ability which put her at ease. She motioned Isabelle to come closer to the window, telling her to look down.

Isabelle did as Ridley told her to do. She was more curious than anything which quickly shifted to nervousness being so close to the drop of the window. It was quite high up, the guest rooms sitting on the fifth and sixth floors. Anyone falling from one of their windows would surely die on impact.

Ridley could sense Isabelle's slight tension building. She twisted her body around, swinging her legs out into the open air of the open window.

"Ridley, are you crazy?" Isabelle gripped her arm. "The fall would kill you."

Ridley shook her head, moving her arm out of Isabelle's grasp. "No," she said. "It would kill _you_." And then she pushed herself outward, falling from the bedroom window as Isabelle looked on horrified.

Her bare feet landed hard on the courtyard grounds that set underneath her window, her body perfectly upright. When she looked up to wave to Isabelle, there was no one there. "Where did she go?" She said quietly to herself as she walked toward the doors the led back inside.

Isabelle barged through them before she reached the stairs. "You are okay!?" Her voice was loud and filled with fear. She was out of breath and panting in front of Ridley.

Ridley laughed as she ushered her to sit down on the steps. "I am fine," she explained to Isabelle. "I wanted to show you some of these things, then I wanted to tell you what happened at the cemetery."

Isabelle was silent as she tried to catch her breath.

"Izzy," Ridley said, taking hold of her hand. "I am different."

* * *

Pandemonium was packed full with the usual mix of mundanes and Downworlders. Downworlders that watched closely as the two daughters of the Nephilim made their way through the crowd alone. They ignored it as they pushed through to the side of the dance floor and took over an emptying table from a group of Nixies.

Isabelle, clad in a skin-tight black and silver dress and her favorite thigh-high boots, looked over at Ridley. "Jace is going to be pissed," she yelled over the music to her with a devious smile. Her eyes keeping watch around them before locking eyes on a someone across the club.

Ridley shrugged her shoulders and look down at her left hand where the beautiful Tiffany ring sat in its rightful place. She pulled at the hem of her close-fitting black lace dress, adjusting it slightly around her tone thighs. She knew Jace would be mad, but she had to do this and she was glad that Isabelle had agreed to come with her. Not that Isabelle would put up a fight to go out.

She noticed that Isabelle's eyes had shifted. "Isabelle," she said loudly, waving a hand in front of her face. She followed her gaze to the opposite side of the club to the balcony. Her skin crawled at the sight of what Isabelle had been so focused on.

_Jonathan._

She was right. This was exactly the place to come to bait him out of hiding. And there he was, right there staring down at the girls.

Isabelle turned her eyes away and looked back at Ridley. "Who is that?"

Ridley ignored her question, moving away from the table crossing the dance floor toward the stairs to the upper balcony. Isabelle gawked after her before falling in behind. Together, they walked up the stairs, making their way to him.

It was quieter upstairs due to the fact that is was enclosed with large glass windows that cut out a bit of the blaring music. Jonathan stood in the same place he had been when they spotted him. His face remaining stoic as he turned to them. "Don't you ladies look nice," his voice was thick, it causing Ridley's stomach to turn.

Isabelle smiled at him and thanked him flirtaciously. Ridley watched her as she sauntered over to him, striking up a conversation and captivating his attention. Or so Isabelle thought. As she jabbered on with him, he turned to give Ridley an evil wink.

Ridley stood by the window, keeping a close eye on the two beside her. She swore to herself that if he did anything to hurt Isabelle, she would kill him right there where he stood. But he seemed to be the perfect gentleman at the moment, shocking her slightly.

Then she could feel him clawing his way into her head, speaking to her. Unwillingly, she let him push through, his words filling her mind. _You were stupid for coming here_, his voice told her.

"Get out of my head!" She yelled at him, pushing Isabelle to the side. "Don't mess with her."

Isabelle just stood back and stared at the mess that began to unfold in front of her, suddenly realizing that this guy was not who she thought he was. Then it hit her. He was the one from the club that night, the one who took Ridley to Green-Wood. She stayed still and silent as her whip proceeded to unwind from her arm.

Jonathan turned to Ridley, his lips curving at the sides into an evil smirk. "My father sent me here for you." He reached out his hands for her, but before he could reach her something sparked between them causing him to pull them back in and screech in pain. He shifted his eyes to Isabelle who stood glaring at him, whip in hand. "You bitch."

Ridley retreated to Isabelle's side and together they ran down the stairs toward the doors of the club with Jonathan hot on their heels. They made their way out to the street, heading for the curb and running across to the other side. Isabelle looked back to see Jonathan following them, jumping from car to car. Ridley took hold of her hand and they ran faster out of the site of the Downworlders outside of the club.

"He is too fast," Isabelle yelled to her as they continued to move down a side street. "We aren't going to be able to outrun him."

Ridley looked back and told her to call Jace. But when she turned back to look where she was headed, Jonathan was standing in front of her. Without being able to stop in time, she plowed right into him. Into his strong arms. He latched one around her tightly as he pulled a syringe from his jacket and jammed it into her neck. Her eyes went wide with pain and he let her drop to the ground as she lost control of her body.

His eyes shifted to Isabelle who was staring at him, phone in one hand and whip in the other. He stalked towards her as she put the phone back in its pocket, zipping her jacket up. "I am not afraid of you, you cowardly boy. Can't even stand to fight us," she teased him strongly as she flung her whip at him.

It cracked and sliced through the skin of his upper arm. But it didn't phase him. He kept moving toward her, much faster now. She pulled the whip back and flung it at him again. To her horror, he caught it in his hand and ripped her down, dragging her to him. "Tell that boy of hers that the wedding is off," he said before his fist delivered a devastating blow her head, knocking her lifeless body to the sidewalk.

Ridley stared at Isabelle's unconscious body beside her, not able to move or speak. She watched as Jonathan picked up her left hand, waving her ringed finger in her face. "Do you really think your little boy toy will come for you?" He laughed and threw her over his shoulder, leaving Isabelle alone on the sidewalk.


	10. Love Will Destroy You

Jace wandered around the infirmary aimlessly, glancing periodically at Isabelle who lay asleep in one of the sterile white beds. Her bruises were fading thanks to the iratze he placed on her chest, but she was still weak and in ridiculous pain. She had woken momentarily when they got her back to the Institute, but her right eye and nose were so swollen that she couldn't open her eyes or mouth. So, she was giving a mixture by Magnus and urged to sleep until the iratze worked with it to alleviate her injuries.

Once she was asleep, Jace had retreated to the library. It was driving him crazy to not know anything about his fiancé's whereabouts. He searched book after book on the city's layout. Books on every possible location that someone could have taken Ridley. He knew Jonathan had come back for her. _Where are you, Ridley?_

The was a soft knock on one of the large library doors causing Jace to look up from the desk. Magnus stood in the doorway in all his glittered glory. "I have an idea," he said as he made his way down the stairs toward Jace.

"At this point, I will try anything." Jace closed the book in front of him and pushed it aside. "I can't think of where they would take her."

"I know tracking spells don't always work, but we can attempt it. Can you get into her room and get me something of hers?"

Jace nodded, raising himself from the desk. "I will be right back."

* * *

Ridley's eyes fluttered open softly, adjusting to the light shining down on her. Her hand moved to her neck where Jonathan had jammed the syringe, wincing in slight pain. She blinked a few times before pushing herself up into a sitting position. _Where the hell am I?_ Just as she finished her questioning thought, she looked up.

The sunlight was filtering in through a beautiful atrium made of an iron and glass skylight over nine stories above her. Her eyes wandered around her. She looked to be in a gutted and abandoned lobby of some sort. It was beautiful in his intricate ironworks and moldings, but depressing from the wear of time.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from a staircase on one side of the open room. A man with pale hair like Jonathan's came into view, moving toward her in an oddly graceful manor.

He looked down at her, holding a hand out to her. After a little hesitation, she took him and let him help her up from the floor. Her head spun slightly, but she pushed through without falter.

She noticed that he was oddly cautious with her, keeping her steady up the stairs. It was odd to feel like a china doll. It was odd to feel someone holding onto her as if she were so fragile.

Her eyes shifted to his face. She had seen him before in her dreams. "Are you Valentine?"

The man nodded in response as they moved slowly to the next floor. He guided her to an empty cot in the corner, easing her down. "You stay here," he told her as he released her and walked away.

Her gaze followed after him, watching as he made his way down the hall to the silhouette of another man. And that is where he stopped. Ridley squinted in hopes of being able to see who he was talking to, and she did. It was Jonathan.

He was staring at her as Valentine spoke inaudibly to him. There was an odd sadness in his eyes which she found odd, she was sure that a monster like him had no feelings. Valentine had finished speaking to him and made his way out of site, leaving Jonathan heading her way.

Before she knew it, he was right there with his hand softly pressing the skin on her neck where he had injected the potion the night before. "I am sorry for that," he said quietly, almost whispering. He looked down at her with calm eyes, though they were still black.

She looked up at him weakly. "Why am I here?"

Jonathan sat down next to her on the cot, taking her hand in his which she didn't fight. She knew the mood he was in and she knew he could be manipulated in it. She could play his slight bit of compassion if she did it right.

His fingers moved fluidly on her wrist, tracing a scar from her childhood. "He wants you, Ridley. I cannot disobey my father." He kept his eyes locked on the scar.

"I don't understand what makes me so special," she said flatly.

He locked his eyes with hers. "He wants you because you are just like me. He made you better. He is the reason you can manipulate fire, the reason you can jump from your 6th story window and land perfectly."

She swallowed hard and thought back to the journal they had found in the Institute's library many months ago. It was Valentine's journal. It was about her. "The demon blood," she whispered.

Jonathan nodded in response, looking at her with an eerie sense of empathy. "The powers you have, they will heighten when you turn eighteen next month. The demon blood will take you over. You will have your Shadowhunter skill and training, but you will be so much stronger. It will control you."

Ridley shook her head. "No, I won't let it. There has to be a way to stop it."

He looked around, making sure that they were alone. Softly he whispered in her ear, "There is."

* * *

"We've found her," Jace proclaimed as he bounded into the infirmary causing Alec and Isabelle to both look up at him at the same time.

Isabelle struggled to push herself up in the bed. "Let's go get her," she said roughly as she pushed harder.

Alec rushed to his sister's side, Jace right behind him. Together, they helped her sit up.

"You are not going anywhere, Izzy." Alec's voice was stern and strong.

Isabelle shook her head. "No, I am. This is my fault." Her eyes shifted to Jace, pleading with him to change his mind.

"Izzy, this is not your fault. She planned this, she knew he would come. Or maybe she just hoped he would. She wants answers. And I want her," he told her. "I want to get my fiancé back."

Her eyes began to fill with tears. "I should have done more," she said softly, her voice cracking.

Jace wrapped his arms around her. "You are not strong enough to fight, Iz. You can't even walk."

Finally, she surrendered and slid herself back down in the bed. "Please be careful," she told them before her eyes fluttered closed.

Jace then began to explain that Magnus had used a tracking spell and successfully located Ridley. "He told me that Jonathan took her to a building in what he swore was Lower Manhattan, said he knew the building well. A practically abandoned nine story on Beekman Street called Temple Court."

Alec moved toward the door. "Let's go then," he said as he led the way to the weapons room where they stocked up on as much as they could.

"I wish we had Izzy. This could get messy," Jace said as they stepped out of the elevator.

As if on cue, a voice chimed through the foyer. "Where is she?"

Jace turned around to see Roslyn standing in the middle of the floor, staring at them with wide eyes. "I thought you left for London."

Roslyn looked at him. "I did."

"Then why are you here?" Alec asked confused.

"I had this... _feeling_. I knew something was wrong. I tried calling her. And it isn't like her to not answer or return my calls," she explained in a huff. "I had a warlock friend open a portal for me."

Jace stared down at the floor, searching for the words to say. "Roslyn," he started. "Jonathan took her last night."

"That is what I feared." Her voice was flat. No sign of shock or sadness. She had expected it to happen, but she didn't think it would be this soon after her leaving.

"Let's go. We don't know how long they will keep her where Magnus tracked her to," Alec chimed in, breaking the awkward silence that fell between Roslyn and Jace. He turned to her quickly. "Do you need weapons?"

Roslyn's lips curved up into a devilish smirk, holding open her leather jacket and revealing multiple seraph blades and daggers. "I came prepared."

* * *

Ridley had sat in horror as Jonathan explained how the demon blood could be stopped. In order for her to be saved, they would need to cut her deeply in five spots on her body including directly over her angelic rune. This would cause the demon blood to drain from her body, leaving the pure Shadowhunter blood behind. A new rune would need to be placed after.

"But there is one slight catch, if you will," Jonathan whispered. "The demon blood has to have somewhere to go. Something baiting it."

Ridley looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean by baiting it..?"

"Someone would have to be willing to take it on," he told her.

Someone would have to take the blood that would ruin them. Someone would have to be willing to save her life. And she would have to be willing to let that happen.

Suddenly, their conversation was cut short when a loud crash surfaced from the flood beneath them. Jonathan shot up from the cot, something fierce striking through his eyes. He could sense the intruder. "Stay here," he demanded, leaving her side and moving into the shadows of the decrepit building.

She sat still for a moment, knowing that making a run for it would a waste of energy. Her eyes then caught sight of a woman practically floating toward her down the hall. The long black hair gave her away._ Lilith._

"I didn't realize that you would become of more use to us than you already were," she said, her voice dripping through Ridley's mind.

Ridley looked up at her, confusion taking over her face. "What are you talking about?"

Lilith laughed a cruel cackle. "You mean you don't know?" Her hand moved to Ridley, reaching for her.

"Stop being so fucking cryptic with me! I do not appreciate you attempting to mess with my mind and manipulate me."

Lilith's hand rested on Ridley's stomach. "No harm will come to you, my child. Not by us, at least."

Ridley looked down at her long fingers, pushing them off her quickly. "Don't touch me!"

Lilith didn't seem to notice, or maybe she just didn't care. She had heard the noises from the floor below, knowing that soon she would have to leave her precious creation. Her eyes shifted up to Ridley's, examining her for a moment. "Love will destroy you," she said softly, moving her eyes to the floor.

An eerie sense of compassion ran through Ridley's body. Lilith suddenly looked oddly weak and worried. It was like she really did see herself as Ridley's mother. She knew Lilith knew what could possibly happen. She figured she heard her and Jonathan speaking about the way she could survive this.

There was another loud crash below them causing Lilith to remove herself from Ridley's side. "The demons are getting restless," she said simply and headed down the stairs.

This_ is it,_ she thought as she pulled herself up to her feet. Her eyes scanned the room for an open window. There in the corner opposite of her was the only one she could see.

She moved slowly at first, trying to regain strength in her legs. It came back to her and suddenly she was running down the hall to the window. When she reached it, she hoisted herself up on the sill and looked down at the sidewalk below her.

"Ridley, stop!" She heard Valentine yell as he barreled through the hall toward her.

She smirked slightly and jumped out the window. She landed perfectly and without hesitation, started to run. It felt so good to run and she ran for miles. She was running toward the Institute. She was running toward Isabelle. But most importantly, she was running back to Jace.

Although, Jace found her first.


	11. Because Of Her Blood

_Green was definitely her color._

_Blonde hair cascaded down her exposed back in long waves, falling down to the shimmery satin of her corset. The deep green of her ball gown pulled her dark brown eyes to the surface of her otherwise muted face. Not that you could see much of it, it being covered by the blood red mask she had chosen to wear to hide her identity as was expected at such an event._

_As she entered the Accords Hall to join in on the masquerade ball, every gaze seem to fall onto her shoulders. Shadowhunters from all over the world had returned to their home country of Idris for this ball, most of them now standing in amazement of her beauty as she made her way through the crowd not paying them much mind. She seemed to be searching for something, or someone._

_After scanning the large room for a moment, her eyes focused in on who she had been looking for. And he was staring back at her through his black mask. She floated toward him in her emerald gown, making her way across the hall and through the crowd. Tension flushed through her body as she neared him._

_His eyes stayed connected with hers as he reached for her hand and pulled her into him. Their lips crashed together as if they were meant to, as if neither of them could control it. He couldn't seem to control his hands either as they moved dangerously low on her back. The friction causing sparks to prick at her spines sending tiny goosebumps to the surface of her soft pale skin._

_Unwillingly, she forced herself to pull back from him. "Jace, not here." Her eyes opening to look up to his, but in doing so she became very aware that it was not Jace in front of her. The eyes were black, not golden as they should be. She had not been kissing her fiancé, she had been kissing Jonathan._

_Jonathan let out a soft chuckle before responding to her. His eyes slanted slightly as he looked down at her. "Oh, my dear. I figured you of all people would see through my glamour."_

_Ridley cocked her head to the side and glared at him. "How dare you," she hissed as she pulled herself out of his grasp and slapped him sharply across the face. Then she pushed her way quickly back through the crowded floor, holding her skirts up with one hand._

_When she made it to the grand corridor outside the Accords Hall entryway, she began to pick up her speed. Subconsciously, she continued in the direction she was moving in, unsure of where she was going. But then she stopped in front of a door and she could hear wonderful voices flowing from the room behind it._

_"Daddy, when will Mommy be back?" The voice of a small girl rang through the cracks of the large wooden door._

_Ridley's eyes grew wide as she watched her left hand raise to the knob. The engagement ring she wore was now paired with a band, a romantic mundane tradition that most of the younger Shadowhunters had taken on. It was romantic. And it made sense, helping them fit into the mundane world around them when they were away from Idris._

_"Mommy!"_

_The thoughts dissipated from her mind suddenly. Her eyes shifted downward to a small girl with long hair much like her own, blessed with a pretty face and slim frame, it was as if she was a miniature replica of Ridley in almost every way though her hair was the same shade as Jace's. And her eyes. Her eyes were two different colors. One black and one the same golden tone as his._

_The little girl latched onto her leg tightly. She was followed by a boy of the same height although his hair was much lighter, a tone matching her own identically. His eyes were the same as the girl's, two different colors._

_Ridley stared at them in awe. There was something about the children that pulled at her, tugging her deeper into the room in front of her. That is when she saw him._

_Jace._

_He looked up at her with a gentle smile as he tossed a few stray toys into a woven basket. "We've been waiting on you, Mrs. Herondale."_

_Herondale. Odd. She knew Jace had had a confusing childhood and many possible last names to choose from, but of all of the names, she had always thought that he would have chosen Lightwood as their own. But Herondale made sense as well, him wanting to continue his biological family name. She just wasn't prepared to hear it. Mrs. Herondale._

_"Ridley, are you okay?" He asked as he moved to her side, shooing away the children. "Go pick the rest of the toys up, you two."_

_Her eyes followed them as they teetered off to the far side of the room. It was now begin to finally click in her brain that they were her children. Something she never thought was possible. Her eyes shifted up to Jace's. "They are beautiful," she said in amazement._

_Jace nodded. "They sure are. Our twins are something else." She focused her gaze back on the children when he said this watching as they had begun to fight over what looked to be a simple notebook. Jace slid away from her, calling their names to stop the ruckus they were causing. "Ella, Mason, knock it off!"_

_"Jace," Ridley called to him and she moved forward to take hold of his hand and pull him back to her. "Their eyes," she whispered._

_He shot her a confused look. "Because of our blood mixing? Don't you remember? Ridley?"_

_Ridley just stared at the children. Her children. As if on cue, they both looked up at her and smiled._

Ridley's eyes shot open. Her body staying very still as her eyes searched the darkness around her. Jace's arm lay over her torso, his naked chest pressed against her bare back. His rhythmic breathing calming her.

Slowly, she pushed herself up in the bed. Her legs swinging off the side as she reached down for her tshirt and panties that littered the hardwood floor beneath her feet. As she stood, a wave of nausea ran through her causing her to stand quickly and rush toward the bathroom.

After cleaning her mouth and brushing her teeth, she stood in front of the mirror for a long moment. Her hands traced her thin midsection as she turned to the side. _I can't be pregnant,_ she told herself. Hoping it would sink in, she continued to say it over and over in her mind. It was as if she were still in a dream. One that was consuming her mind until there was a soft knock on the door.

Jace knocked again before turning the knob and entering hesitantly. He took his place behind her, bringing his strong arms around her waist. His gaze meeting her own in the reflection of the large vanity mirror. "Are you okay?" His voice was soft and laced with worry as he nuzzled his head into the space between her neck and shoulder.

"Jace, I love you." She stated the words simply, straight and to the point.

"And I love you," he replied, his voice slightly muffled in her long hair.

Ridley looked up at their reflection. She knew she had to tell him. She would need him more than ever right now. Her fear would consume her and she knew he was the only one who could snap her back to reality and make her see the bigger picture.

Her voice cracked as she spoke the words to him, "I think I am pregnant."

His head popped up almost instantly, his eyes locking with hers in the mirror. No words came though. He just stood there and stared at her.

"Jace, I think that is why they didn't hurt me. I think that is why they just let me go. It all makes sense now."

Jace was still silent, listening to her thoughtfully as she spoke, taking in every word. His face was blank, he showed no sign of fear or anger or shock.

After a long moment, he turned her around to face him and picked her up, sitting her on the counter. He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "I know," was all he said.

* * *

Isabelle had gone with Ridley to take an actual pregnancy test which as she had imagined produced a positive. Now that she had been given a solid and real answer, she was no longer worried or scared. A sudden calmness had washed over her.

"You really think Lilith knew?" Isabelle asked her as they walked back to the Institute together. Her heels clicking loudly on the sidewalk underneath her, black hair blowing in the October breeze.

Ridley thought back to that day. Back to the cot in the abandoned building. Back to the words Lilith had spoken to her, the way she had reached for Ridley's stomach. "Yes, she knew. She told me love would destroy me and I had assumed physically. But all these dreams, they show me there with them. Jace and the kids. And we are happy."

"Kids... As in plural?"

Ridley nodded. "Every dream I have had with the children involved show that I have twins. A boy and a girl."

"Well, that is exciting! At least, I won't have to worry about colors and what gender to shop for," Isabelle told her, happiness lacing her voice.

"Am I supposed to be excited, Isabelle? I mean, honestly." Ridley sunk down on a bench in Central Park. Her body shifted toward Isabelle as she sat down beside her.

"We are Shadowhunters, Ridley. This is what happens. We marry young. We have babies young." She hesitated before finishing her statement. "We die young."

Ridley had no words. Isabelle was right.

* * *

The library was quiet. Shelves upon shelves filled with books of every genre lined the enormous room. Light streaming in through the large windows, casting a bright glow over the table where Jace sat alone, book in hand.

He seemed to be eerily calm when Alec took a seat beside him. "You okay?" He placed a strong hand on Jace's shoulder in support.

Jace cocked his head to the side and shot him a simple smile. "I am fine," he replied with no noticeable tone change in his voice. He didn't seem upset or worried or nervous or even scared. He seemed content.

"Should I be congratulating you then?"

Jace nodded expectantly. "I am happy about this. I truly am. I was just shocked."

"Hell, I would be too," Alec laughed. "But I guess I don't have to worry about this with Magnus."

Jace raised a brow. "Well, he is a warlock. I am sure weirder things could happen to you."

Together they laughed and Jace's smile didn't fade. He was happy. Now, he just had to figure out a way to make Ridley happy too.

"You want some help?" Alec asked him. "Wait, what are you reading?" He picked up one of the books from the stack on the desk. "Weddings?"

"Yeah, I want to plan our wedding. I know that I am most definitely the least qualified person for the job, but I want to do something special for her. I know why she is so worried about this."

Alec shifted in his chair, twisting to face Jace more. "Because of her blood..."

Jace just stared off into the air in front of him. He knew there had to be a way around this and he planned to find a way. _Roslyn_, he thought. He would call his future sister-in-law and ask her for help. With Ridley's birthday approaching, and hopefully, their wedding, he knew she was the perfect person.


End file.
